At the Mostra Internationale d’Arte Cinematografica 2010 on the Lido of Venice ecumenical film experts met for the 3rd time. This time the event was devoted to contemporary Russian film art.  Andrey Plakhov, an international renowned film critic and historian, talked about “Dreams and Reality” in recent Russian film productions. INTERFILM, its Italian member organisation Associazione protestante del Cinema Roberto Sbaffi, and the Italian Catholic film organisation Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo had organised the meeting, the latter hosting the event in its festival space in the Hotel Excelsior.

Festival director Marco Muller in his welcoming speech acknowledged the renewal of Russian cinema by young directors and authors which got international recognition for the first time when Andrej Svjagincevs “The Return” received the Golden Lion in Venice 2003. Since then, as Muller pointed out, the Mostra del cinema has become the most important show case of Russian films taking over from the Berlinale which answered this purpose in former decades. Marco Muller had been honoured by the “Orden Drushby” (order of Friendship) by the Russian Federation for his merits on spreading knowledge and understanding of Russian films in summer 2010. In his 2010 edition, the festival again screened a Russian competition entry, “Silent Souls” (Ovsjanki) by director Aleksej Fedorchenko. The film was awarded by the International Film Critics Prize and a Commendation by the SIGNIS jury. Fedorchenko had joined the ecumenical event and spontaneously participated on the panel after Plakhov’s lecture, answering questions and commentaries of the audience.

Festival director Marco Muller and Karsten Visarius, Executive Director of INTERFILM
© Gianna Urizio

Plakhov himself appreciated Svjagincev’s „The Return” (which also received the Church Templeton Film Award 2003) as starting point of the newest “renaissance” of Russian film art. After a first period in Perestrojka of struggling with the Soviet past and a second period of reconstructing the Russian film industry dominated by mainstream blockbusters copying Hollywood patterns, this renaissance signifies, Plakhov said, a third period which takes up relations to pre-revolutionary Russian traditions including religious and spiritual elements. Pavel Lungin’s „The Island” which tells about a guild-ridden monk seeking for reconcilation in a northern Russian monastery is the best known example of such a revival. A remarkable number of Ecumencial Awards in the last decade bear witness of the creativity of young Russian film artists as well (see list below).

Alesej Fedorchenko and Andrej Plakhov
© Gianna Urizio

After Plakhov’s presentation which included a number of film cuttings a discussion followed, moderated by Karsten Visarius, executive director of INTERFILM. Among the audience he welcomed especially Aliona Shumakova, the responsable for Russian films at the Mostra, and Sitora Alieva, programme director of the international Sotchi film festival Kinotavr, and others. With a snack offered by the Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo the event came to an end.

Invitation to the Ecumenical Meeting:

Presentation by Andrej Plakhov:

Ecumenical Awards for Russian films since 2000:

Kak ja provel etim letom (How I Ended This Summer), Pavel Popogrebsky, Russia 2010 (Commendation Yerevan 2010)
Drugoje Nebo (Another Sky), Dmitrij Mamulja, Russia 2010 (Ecumenical Film Prize Karlovy Vary 2010)
Buben Baraban, Aleksej Misgirev, Russia 2009 (Ecumenical Film Prize Cottbus 2009)
Volchok (Wolfy), Vasilij Sigaryev, Russia 2009 (Commendation Kiev 2009)
Yuriev Den' (Der Tag in Yuriev), Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia/Germany 2008 (Commendation Locarno 2008)
Dikoe polje (Wild Field), Michail Kalatosischwili, Russia 2008 (Ecumenical Film Prize Cottbus 2008)
Tulpan (Tulip/Tulpe), von Sergej Dwortsewoj, Germany/Switzerland/Kasakhstan/Russia/Poland 2008 (Commendation Cottbus 2008)
Puteschestwije s domaschnimi schivotnymi (Travelling With Pets), Vera Storoschewa, Russia 2007 (Ecumenical Film Prize Cottbus 2007)
Prostye Vešci (Simple Things), Alexej Popogrebsky, Russia 2006 (Ecumenical Film Prize Karlovy Vary 2007)
Civil Status, Alina Rudnitskaya, Russia 2005 (Commendation Oberhausen 2006)
Parnikovyj Effekt (Greenhouse Effect), Valery Akhadov, Russia 2005 (Ecumenical Film Prize Zlin 2006)
Babusja (Grandmother), Lidia Bobrova, Russia/France 2003 (Ecumenical Film Prize Karlovy Vary 2003)
Cistyj Cetverg (Clean Thursday), Aleksandr Rastorgujev, Russia 2003 (Ecumenical Film Prize Leipzig 2003)
Vosvrašcenie (The Return), Andrej Svjagincev, Russia 2003 (Ecumenical Film Prize Cottbus 2003/European John Templeton Film Award 2003)
Suka (Bitch), Igor Voloshin, Russia 2001 (Ecumenical Film Prize Oberhausen 2002)
Sidet’ v škafu (To Sit in a Wardrobe), Tatjana Detkina, Russia 2001 (Commendation Oberhausen 2002)
Sestry (Sisters), Sergej Bodrov, Russia 2001 (Ecumenical Film Prize Cottbus 2001)